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1987 Italian Grand Prix
6 September |number = 447 |officialname = LVIII Gran Premio d'Italia |circuit = Autodromo Nazionale Monza |location = Monza, Italy |circuittype = Permanent racing facility |lapdistance = 5.800 |laps = 50 |distance = 290.000 |pole = Nelson Piquet |polenation = BRA-1968 |poleteam = |poletime = 1:23.460 |fastestlap = 1:26.796 |fastestlapdriver = Ayrton Senna |fastestlapnation = BRA-1968 |fastestlapteam = |fastestlapnumber = 49 |winner = Nelson Piquet |winnernation = BRA-1968 |winnerteam = |second = Ayrton Senna |secondnation = BRA-1968 |secondteam = |third = Nigel Mansell |thirdnation = GBR |thirdteam = |scheduledlaps = 51 }} The 1987 Italian Grand Prix, otherwise known as the LVIII Gran Premio d'Italia, was the eleventh round of the FIA Formula One World Championship, staged at the Autodromo Nazionale Monza on the 6 September 1987.'Italian GP, 1987', grandprix.com, (Inside F1 Inc., 2015), http://www.grandprix.com/gpe/rr447.html, (Accessed 04/04/2019) The race would see Nelson Piquet claim victory ahead of compatriot Ayrton Senna, after a late mistake from the young pretender handed Piquet the lead. Before the race it was announced that would be supplying for , ending their association with a year early. This led to questions over whether the Japanese manufacturer would play fair in the Championship, with Piquet and Senna set to be Honda powered drivers in the future, while Nigel Mansell was not. Regardless, it was Piquet who emerged on top during qualifying, using Williams' new active-suspension system, a concept introduced by at the start of the season. His teammate Mansell was next, using a more conventional system, while Senna was beaten by Gerhard Berger in the . Mansell would get a good initial launch off the line at the start of the race, although a missed gear change ultimately allowed Piquet to ease ahead into the Rettifilo. Berger challenged but had to settle for third ahead of Thierry Boutsen, with Senna also slipping behind future teammate Alain Prost in the . Berger would try to take second from Mansell again at the start of the second lap, only for Mansell to make a late move to defend and cause the two to collide. Boutsen duly shot through to second as the pair scrambled back onto the circuit, with Berger remaining in third while Mansell dropped to fourth. The order soon stabilised, with Piquet running away out front, while Berger and Mansell squabbled behind Boutsen. Indeed, it would take Mansell until lap seventeen to deal with Berger, before claiming second from Boutsen a lap later to go off and hunt his teammate. The two Williams would stop at the midway point of the race, leaving Senna in the lead as the Brazilian was hoping to make it to the chequered flag without changing tyres. With eight laps to go it looked as if the ploy had worked, with Piquet unable to make serious progress, until Senna made a mess of lapping Piercarlo Ghinzani and went bouncing across the gravel at the Parabolica. Piquet duly swept back ahead to reclaim the lead and eventual victory, with Senna unable to seriously challenge after he rejoined. Mansell was a distant third ahead of Berger and Boutsen, while Stefan Johansson completed the points paying positions. That result left Piquet as the odds-on favourite for the title, heading into the final five races of the season with a fourteen point lead. Senna had remained his closest challenger in second, six ahead of Mansell, while had all but wrapped up the Constructors' Championship. Background Another podium finish for Nelson Piquet last time out in Austria had ensured that the Brazilian racer extended his Championship lead, eleven ahead of his nearest challenger Ayrton Senna. The younger Brazilian had also lost ground to Piquet's teammate Nigel Mansell, now four behind in third, while Alain Prost seemed to be out of the fight entirely, having slipped 23 points off the lead. Behind him was Stefan Johansson in fifth, with those five the only drivers in double figures for the season. In the Constructors' Championship, meanwhile, it was 's title to lose after the Austrian Grand Prix, with the Anglo-Japanese squad ending the weekend on 93 points. were still their closest challengers, although with 43 points splitting the two, there was little chance of the Anglo-German squad claiming the crown. Indeed, they were now locked into a fight for second during the final third of the season, with having moved to within a point of their rivals in Austria. had continued their domination of the Colin Chapman Trophy in Austria, leaving the Styrian Mountains with a huge 61 point lead. Their lead driver Jonathan Palmer likewise held a position of power in the Jim Clark Trophy, although his lead was only sixteen over his teammate Philippe Streiff arriving in Italy. Their closest challenger was Pascal Fabre with the lone , while Ivan Capelli and had made ground after their maiden JCT win last time out. Entry list The full entry list for the is outlined below: * Entries with a white background denote eligibility for the Jim Clark Trophy and Colin Chapman Trophy. Practice Overview Qualifying Friday Qualifying Saturday Qualifying Qualifying Results The full qualifying results for the are outlined below: * A white background indicates an entrant in the Jim Clark Trophy. *T Indicates a driver used their test/spare car to set their best time in that session. *'Bold' indicates a driver's best/qualifying time. ** Pirro's entry was withdrawn after Trussardi's registration as an entrant was rejected. Grid Race Report Results The full results for the are outlined below: * A white background indicates an entrant in the Jim Clark Trophy with numbers in brackets indicating their finishing position in that class. *T Indicates a driver used their test/spare car. Milestones * declared as the inaugural Colin Chapman Trophy Champions. * 500th entry for an engined car.'1987 Italy GP', chicanef1.com, (Chicane F1, 2015), http://www.chicanef1.com/racetit.pl?year=1987&gp=Italian%20GP&r=1, (Accessed 04/04/2019) * Michele Alboreto started his 100th Grand Prix.'11. Italy 1987', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2014), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1987/italie.aspx, (Accessed 04/04/2019) * and entered their first Grand Prix. * Debut race for Franco Forini. * Nicola Larini entered his first Grand Prix. * Twentieth victory for Nelson Piquet. * 38th win for as a constructor. ** Engine suppliers claimed their 25th win. * Ayrton Senna recorded the 70th fastest lap for a chassis. Standings A third victory of the season for Nelson Piquet left the Brazilian ace with a comfortable lead in the Championship battle, leaving Italy with a fourteen point advantage. Ayrton Senna had remained his closest challenger, but with Nigel Mansell a major threat to him despite losing a small amount of ground. Indeed, the title was set to be fought for between those three, with Alain Prost leaving Italy some 32 points off of Piquet in fourth. In the Constructors' Championship had once again managed to extend their lead by a considerable margin, leaving Italy with 106 points to their name. That left the Anglo-Japanese effort 51 points clear with 75 left to fight for, meaning they could win the title at the next race in Portugal. Indeed, , having just overtaken would have to score six points at Estoril to keep the fight alive. Only point scoring drivers and constructors are shown. Jim Clark/Colin Chapman Trophy Jonathan Palmer's lead in the Jim Clark Trophy had been reduced in Italy, although the Brit still held an eleven point lead with five races to go. His teammate Philippe Streiff was his nearest, and arguably only, threat, with third placed Pascal Fabre only holding 35 points after eleven races. Likewise, had won the Colin Chapman Trophy with a third of the season to go, moving 84 points clear with just 75 left to fight for. Only point scoring drivers and constructors are shown. References Images and Videos: * References: Category:Grand Prix articles Category:1987 Grands Prix Category:Italian Grand Prix Category:Formula One races in Italy